HISTORY has come to life through the eyes of Aboriginal students in the Wii-Gay program.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Catholic Diocese Precinct Soundtrail tells the stories of elders in the Aboriginal and Catholic community, live as listeners walk around town.
Mission and Evangelisation head Lee Herden said the project was a labour of love and passion.
“These stories are captured and retold not in a dry way through the eyes of historians, but rather through the rich and imaginative eyes of these young people here today,” he said.
“This Soundtrail is a testament to these students who have embraced story, they’ve had to learn how to interview people, they’ve had to overcome a sense of embarrassment in asking questions of their elders.
“Or, the shame of perhaps getting it wrong – they haven’t.”
Aboriginal students aged eight to 12-years-old interviewed members of the community, their stories were recorded and feature on an interactive smartphone app.
Listeners can wander round the precinct and hear the stories about the Catholic Diocese relationship with Aboriginal people.
The stories had interwoven the history of both people, Mr Herden said.
“They have woven in the Aboriginal story in a vibrant way, they have captured the funny and the sad,” he said.
“They bring to our eyes the stories told anew.
“Our aim has always been to have the stories of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as integral to the story, not an add-on, not a token, but woven into the very fabric of who we are.”
One of the stories, told by Wendy Baker, details the history of Bishop Edward Doody who brought the Daughters of Charity to Moree and started the Pius the 10th Mission.
“He was a very quiet man really,” Ms Baker said.
“But he was very concerned about the churches work with the first people.
“The church engaged in ongoing financial support for the mission to keep it going, and it’s still going today – it’s now a medical centre and a whole bunch of other things, enjoyed by the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.”
Working with the Wii-Gay students was what Ms Baker enjoyed most.
“This history of this block is particularly a passion of mine,” she said.
“I’m keen that it’s recorded and that each generation is building on past generations, to me that’s a really important journey to record.”
To download the Soundtrails App to a tablet or smartphone, visit the App Store or Google Play and download the Armidale Catholic Precinct Soundtrail.